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E. Ukraine rebels say they start heavy-weapon pullout

Xinhua, February 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

The pro-independence insurgents in eastern Ukraine said Tuesday they have begun a "full-scale" pullout of heavy weapons from the front line of their fight with government troops.

They said the move was in accordance with a ceasefire deal signed on Feb. 12.

"As of 9 a.m. local time (0700 GMT), our units continued withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of contact," Eduard Basurin, a senior insurgent commander, was quoted by the rebel-run Novorossia news agency as saying.

The insurgent forces have withdrawn about 20 units of heavy weaponry from the front line as of Tuesday morning, Basurin said, adding that an additional 96 howitzers and artillery cannons will be moved from the fighting area till the end of the day.

However, the press service of the government's military operation in the east has not confirmed the pullback of weapons by the insurgent forces, calling the claims about the withdrawal "empty phrases."

In a statement on its Facebook page, the press service said the insurgents "use the ceasefire regime to strengthen their squads and accumulate ammunition."

The pullback of heavy weapons is part of the latest ceasefire deal agreed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on Feb. 12 after 16 hours of talks in Minsk, capital of Belarus.

The deal, aimed at ending the 12-month-old conflict that has killed over 5,700 people, includes a truce from Feb. 15, clear timelines for elections in eastern Ukraine, border control and prisoner exchange. Endi